SIGNED MA SHOAXUAN, DATED MID-AUTUMN OF THE DINGYOU YEAR, CORRESPONDING TO 1897

The inscription on the current bottle is an excerpt of The Lanting Preface, by Wang Xizhi (307-365). The Lanting (Orchid Pavilion) gathering took place in the ninth year of the Yonghe reign of the Eastern Jin dynasty (AD 353). Forty-two scholars were invited to the Orchid Pavilion near Shanyin, Zhejiang province, for the Spring Purification Festival, where a scholarly game took place. The participants were challenged to compose poems, having each been given an initial character. Those who produced two poems had to drink one cup of wine, while those who only composed one poem drank two cups, and those who failed to compose any poetry at all, were required to consume three cups.

For a further discussion of the artist, refer to lot 810. A similar bottle was sold in Snuff Bottles from the Tuyet Nguyet and Stephen Markbreiter Collection Part I, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 4 June 2021, lot 1018.